There is so much that can be said about Uluru and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). Awesome? Without a doubt. Beautiful? Absolutely. Culturally significant? More-so than we can truly appreciate.
Isolated and peaceful? Yeah....nah.
Clearly, the drawcard of any trip to Central Australia is Uluru, and perhaps to a lesser extent Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), and combined they are an absolutely majestic "must do"....just be prepared to enjoy them with others. Plenty of others.
Granted, we were visiting the Red Centre at arguably its busiest time ever - with the school holidays and pending closure of Uluru to climbers acting like a magnet for every bogan from Burswood to Beaudesert - so we were expecting the crowds. And, its a good thing. We all should have the chance to experience this amazing - and very accessible place.
It is awesome.
Uluru
It is a genuinely weird feeling just driving toward Uluru. Lightheadedness. Butterflies deep in your stomach. It really is strangely spiritual - even for Gubbas like us....cruising in on the blacktop in our modern day Hilux listening to Betoota Advocate podcasts. It's hard to imagine what it was like walking in through the desert a hundred - or even a thousand years ago.
To Climb or not to climb? There's more than enough been said and written about the history and culture of Uluru and Kata Tjuta by people much more qualified than me - and really....the stories, culture and language are best told by those that own them. Suffice to say, there is a hell of a lot more to this place than just climbing a rock - and whether or not you agree, it is not hard to understand where the Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara traditional owners are coming from with their request to "please don't climb".
Ultimately the decision is up to the individual....and it's none of your bloody business what we did or didn't do!! Regardless, the pending closure to climbers should not deter visitors. There is just so much more to this special place. Bikes can be hired for a ride around the base of the rock, and in our daughter Sophie's case - it is about an 11km run....probably best done only in the cooler months! There are special places, secret places - and just damn beautiful places all around the rock. there is plenty to do, with free ranger guided walks around the base of Uluru, as well as a range of cultural presentations both at Uluru and at Yulara. The ones we took part in were excellent.
Katu Tjuta
Just 40 km west of Uluru lie the red ochre rock domes of Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), with a range of walking trails and magnificent views. By the time we got to Kata Tjuta we were running short of time (and were a bit foot sore) so swerved the 7.4km Valley of The Winds walk, and instead took the easier Walpa Gorge Walk - taking us up a rocky track past rare plants and sheer walls. Beautiful.
Field of Light
Righto. Here's where I'm going to get a bit controversial. Everyone we spoke to who was going to Uluru this winter was "sold" on Field of Light art installation - and you know what they say about peer group pressure. Anyway, in the wash up, most of the blokes, and I reckon half of the ladies, reckon it was a bit of a dud. Sure, there are a lot of pretty lights...and they are pretty, and they do change colour....but is that really why we were at Uluru? The "Ayers Rock Resort" website describes the art installation it as inviting "immersion in its fantasy garden of 50,000 spindles of light". Sure it was pretty, but.....ummm.....it was dark and cold. I could have been immersing myself in my sleeping bag. Maybe I'm a heathen.
Camping at Yulara
OK.....a bit more controversy. Camping at Yulara was a little bit "how ya goin'" - at least when we were there. The aforementioned crowds (and the fact that a whole heap of numpty's had clearly been suckered into the dawn "Field of Light" fiasco) made for an unbelievably busy, dusty campsite - and stupidly early 'wake ups' as the crowds drove out for their sunrise viewings.
Still, credit where credit is due - there was a HUGE amount of people to deal with. The toilets still flushed, and the showers were hot...and whilst we did have to queue up to "check in" we did manage to find our own little bit of space. In reality, given that at the time, the influx of tourists and staff effectively made Yulara the second biggest town/city in the NT (bigger than Alice Springs), they did pretty well. Two nights was enough though. In hindsight, it probably would have been worth the investment in a room at the Outback Pioneer Hotel and Lodge (or similar).
Getting There
We came into Uluru via about 320km of good tar road from Kings Canyon (Tjoritja), and headed out via Alice Springs - about 470km to the North East on our way to Chambers Pillar. Alternatively, the Yulara "Ayers Rock Resort" is just 9km from the airport and is serviced by Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar. My sister Kate flew in from Newcastle to join us, to take up the space vacated in the Hilux by Sophie and Emma who were flying back to Brisbane and Toowoomba for work.
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